Hinata's baby
by Sapphire Blizzard
Summary: Hinata only wanted for her and her baby to be left alone, however, nothing is that simple.
1. The Forgotten Heiress

_**Warnings: **_Spoliers. Post war arc.

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_The worst feeling is not being alone, it's being forgotten by someone you could not forget._

—Nishan Panwar—

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**Chapter 1:** The Forgotten Heiress

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It was the middle of July and Hinata Hyuga was wearing her jacket.

That was nothing out of the usual to the average Konohaian citizen. Everyone in the Leaf Village and their grandmother knew how modest the Hyuga heiress could be. She was so modest that Hinata wore jackets year round. However, if one paid close attention they would have realized the coat in general was a heavier, denser coat only meant to be worn for the winter months. Not to mention that Hinata appeared to be suffocating in it. She would wiped the sweat off her brow as she trudged along. Self-consciously she puffed out the front of her thick jacket several times.

Hinata froze when she saw orange. Only one person in the whole village had the nerve to wear such a bright and suicidal color and his name was Naruto Uzumaki. _'Naruto… he's…he's coming this way! I don't know if I can face him at the moment b-but this may be my only chance!'_ Hinata thought desperately.

Naruto's face lit up. "Hiya Hinata!" He greeted his long-time friend cheerfully. "I haven't seen you around lately!" He bounced right up to her. Even if Hinata wanted to run there was no escape for her. "I've heard from Granny Tsunade that you've been turning down missions lately, so what's up with that?"

Indeed Hinata had been avoiding missions. At this point and in her delicate condition she couldn't take the risk. It's not like she had the chakra to do the assignments anyway. Most of her chakra was now being focused to the… she hesitated. Naruto frowned with concern. "Hey, what's wrong? You seem a little down…"

"Um… N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata pressed her fingers together nervously. And here she thought she had out grown the nervous habit. "I n-need to talk to you…" Then again she had a right to be nervous. The situation was dire and only by Naruto's choice could things get better or worse for her.

"About what?" Naruto asked.

Hinata blinked, slightly surprised. "Y…you know…w-what happened t-three months ago…" she stuttered horribly before trailing off.

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "What about three months ago?" He asked. Hinata gaped in disbelief. Her pale pupilless eyes looked absolutely devastated. Naruto was alarmed. Was there something he was supposed to remember? He desperately racked his brain for an answer only to come up short. Hinata meanwhile went from looking distraught to being angry: _VERY_ angry.

Naruto gulped as he took a step back. "Say, Hinata…wh…what's—"

_SMACK_

A fiery lick of pain and a throbbing cheek later, it took Naruto a few seconds to realize that he had been slapped and by all people, Hinata Hyuga! _'She…she slapped me?!'_ Naruto asked himself. He gingerly touched his cheek. "H-Hey! What was that for?" he cried out but Hinata was already gone.

Hinata ran as far away as she could, her sweat flowing behind her like tears. It was an amazing feat for being so hungry, low on chakra and most likely on the verge of a heat stroke. Hinata barely made it to the edge of the training grounds before she collapsed against a tree. Sinking down against the trunk, Hinata panted greedily for air. _'Water…'_ she thought weakly. Hinata pulled out a water bottle and drank greedily from it. She unzipped her jacket to her breastbone.

"HEY! HINATA!"

Hinata's breath hitched as Naruto appeared before her. The red trim around his golden eyes faded away and his eyes returned to the color of sky blue. "…He used sage chakra sensory." She sighed irritably. "Damn it..." She let out a rarely used curse to shun herself for her stupidity. There was no use trying to outrun him.

"What gives!?" Naruto rubbed his swollen red check. "Why did you slap me?"

Hinata turned away from him. Her throat clenched. "My h-hand slipped…" she muttered.

Naruto stared at her disbelievingly. "…seriously?"

Hinata wanted to roll her eyes. Yes, _seriously_ Naruto. "Y-Yeah… I…I'm sorry"

Naruto gave her another look before shrugging it off. "Okay, well, your apology is accepted!" He chirped cheerily before saying concernedly, "You look like you're having a rough day… Normally you're not like this…so do you wanna tell me what's going on?"

Hinata shook her head. "Y-you can't help, Naruto-kun"

Naruto stood there dumbstruck by Hinata's strange behavior. "What do you mean I can't? I'm sure I can h—"

"You can leave now" Hinata said quietly but firmly.

Naruto knelt down before her. "Ah come on Hinata don't be like that!" He whined. "I have something to give you after all!"

Curiosity peeked, Hinata turned her wearied eyes to him. "…What is it?"

Naruto grinned brightly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a fancy pink and white envelope. "You ran away so quickly that I didn't get the chance to invite you!" He handed it to her.

Hinata's hands shook as she read the invitation. "A w-wedding invitation…?"

"Yeah, I proposed to Sakura-chan last week, we're going to get married!" Naruto announced happily. Hinata's mouth fell open in shock. "Sakura said she wanted you to be in the wedding, but since she had an emergency trip to the Land of Honey, she wanted me to give you this and she'll contact you as soon as possible. The wedding is in a month. We decided to have it on my Hokage inauguration day! It'll be a two for one celebration! Tee-hee!"

Hinata lost her grip on the letter. It fluttered to the ground. "You…you don't remember what happened three months ago at the Crystal Palace?" She asked frantically once more. Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Man you keep mentioning that..." He muttered. He swooped down to pick up her invitation. "Is that why you slapped me, Hinata?" His eyes turned apologetic. "Did I do something wrong?"

Hinata couldn't bring herself to tell Naruto. Naruto frowned; he could sense Hinata's heavy heart even without his sage powers. "Hinata, if I have done anything wrong please tell me so I can make it right! You're one of my best friends!" He insisted earnestly. Hinata looked up into those determined eyes. "I-I was mistaken…it's nothing, Naruto" Hinata turned away yet again.

"Hiiiiiiinaaaaata-chan!" Naruto wailed. " What's the matter?! I'm just getting married it's not the end of the world—Oh…!" Naruto's eyes widen when he remembered Hinata's feelings for him. He never quite felt the same about her and now he felt like a senseless dolt. Being an idiot he just skips up to the girl who crushed on him for years; the girl who nearly died for him twice and hands her a wedding invitation. How tactless was that?

"Wait… now I understand, Hinata!" Naruto reached out to her gently. "I know you still…." He trailed remorsefully as he pulled her into a hug. Hinata squeaked and stiffened, only wanting to pull away so Naruto wouldn't sense the… Hinata managed to at least keep their stomachs from touching each other. "Hinata-chan…. I'm sorry I couldn't feel the same" He apologized sincerely.

Hinata squeezed her eyes shut in agony. Just what she needed MORE pity and apologizes due to guilt. She was so far down on Naruto's list that it has resulted to this? Having enough degradation for one day, Hinata shook out of Naruto's grip (which took a lot of effort). Ignoring Naruto's hurt look, she stood up wobbly. "Good-bye, Naruto… congratulations…" Hinata wobbled out there and this time the Rokudaime Hokage-to-be did not follow her.

As Naruto stared wordlessly after her, he felt the same feeling he hated the most: helplessness. It really sucked to have a dear friend who wanted more than you were able to give. Naruto knew there was nothing he could say to comfort Hinata's broken heart. Seeing the one you love chase after another hurts period. Sakura used to run after Sasuke when she was a child and it shook him to the core. He would have given Hinata a chance but he loved Sakura-chan. It wasn't fair to string along a person when you really wanted someone else.

A tingle of hope ignited into Naruto's heart. Hinata-chan was strong-willed and her inner strength matched his, a rare feat indeed. _'She will be okay'_ he thought to himself. Still… he _had_ to do something for her or his conscious will forbid him from walking down the aisle happily. Maybe he could try and set her up with someone else... That's it! She could date and marry so she wouldn't feel lonely anymore! Naruto had other things to do that included Hokage training with Tsunade but a friend was in need!

The old hag could screech at him later.

* * *

Hinata hesitated before entering the Hyuga compound. Activating her chakra, she cloaked the new chakra within her own before walking through the threshold. The technique was tiring but she had to do it or else the all-seeing eyes of the byakugan would see her secret. Hinata rushed to her chambers. Once in the privacy of her rooms, Hinata practically tore the suffocating jacket off and collapsed backward on her bed gasping. After lying there under the spinning ceiling fan, Hinata began to cool down and her sluggish, muddled thoughts out became clearer. The clearer her mind became, the more it began to reminisce today's events.

Naruto had forgotten about her. _Again_. How typical… Hinata knew she was never high on his list to begin with but she at least had expected him to remember _that_. Then again he thought he was with "Sakura-chan." For the first time in her life a sense of bitter resentment build up and clutched at her chest. So in reality what did she expect? Hinata choked back a sob as she hastily reached into the nightstand beside her bed and pulled out a tiny herb.

Looking at it was like holding death itself in the palm of her hand. Its twisted gray bark had a rough bumpy feel to it. Hinata traced her thumb around the sharp edged leaf. This sinister little plant was the shippai herb. Hinata had been staring at it for many weeks. It was the last week she could use the herb or else she could have complications if she decided to. Tears came to the corner of Hinata's eyes as she let the herb fall to the wooden floor. Her hands cupped the small fleshy mound protruding from her abdomen. She just couldn't do it! But if she didn't do it then what?

Hinata inhaled sharply trying to calm herself down. She retrieved the plant from the ground before flinging it away, as if it was poisoned, into the wastebasket beside her bed. Her selfless act turned into a selfish cry as tears finally fell from her eyes. She wept bitterly with the dread of what was to come now she had chosen not to use the shippai herb. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Hinata-sama" called a servant.

Hinata quickly lowered her shirt. Hastily she wiped the tears from her face and cleared her throat before answering, "Y-Yes?"

"Your father wishes to see you. Please go to his study"

Hinata's eyes widen in fear. "I'll… be right there…t-thank you" Her stomach lurched to think her father had found out already, especially after all the effort she had put into keeping everyone as oblivious as possible for the past three months. Hinata placed her jacket back on. Her hand trembled as she zipped it up to her neck. Taking deep breathes, Hinata tried to stay calm as she walked toward her father's study like a lamb being lead to the slaughter. She could only hope it was something unrelated to her circumstance. To her relief it was not but to Hinata's ever-growing misfortune, it was something worse. Hinata paled horribly. She was already pale but now deathly pale. "Y-You have found me a match?" Her intuition was right. When her father called her to his office it was never a good thing.

"Yes" Hiashi nodded. "He is Etsuya, the young Daimyo of the Land of Steam. You shall be a fitting bride for him"

Hinata sunk her fingers into her knees. If it wasn't for the protective fabric of her pants, she would have drawn blood. Marriage…the idea wouldn't have been so bad but now… Becoming devious Hinata thought. _'Maybe if I lay with him, I can pass the baby off as his but I'm over three months in and marrying him in two months…I cannot pass it off. Even if I was to somehow able to carry the baby pass term, I am starting to show now…Etsuya-sama will notice when we consummate our marriage.'_

Hinata knew she had to come clean. It was only a matter of time and the charka cloaking was not going to hold forever. "F-father forgive me but I must decline this marriage to Etsuya-sama" Hinata bowed her head apologetically to her father. Hiashi's eye narrowed a small fraction. "Why? He is a good match" he insisted. Hinata gulped. "And I am sure he is…h-however I cannot marry him…Father…I…I'm…pregnant!" Hinata blurted out tactlessly. She slapped a hand over her mouth.

"What!?" The Hyuga leader barked in disbelief. Hiashi activated his byakugan and there he saw it, a new chakra pattern forming within his daughter. Hinata watched in horror as the veins on the side of her father's forehead bulged gruesomely and began to turn purple. In a low biting tone he demanded, "Who sired it?" Hinata fidgeted nervously. "Um…" Hinata knew she had done the wrong thing as soon as hesitated because now her father looked even more furious. "Answer me!" He yelled.

"I…" Hinata paused before lying, "I d-don't know!"

Hiashi stared at her. Hinata shook on the spot under his burning glare like a delicate flower withering under the scorching sun. Finally, Hiashi said two words, "…Get out"

Hinata reeled back in fear. "F-Father?"

Hiashi was losing what little self-control he had left. "I SAID GET OUT!" He roared this time. Hinata didn't hesitate to obey. She scurried out the room like a frightened mouse, nearly falling as she went. A part of Hiashi wished she had tripped. Perhaps she would have lost the … Hiashi sighed as he grievously dropped his head into his hands. If it was not one disgrace from his eldest daughter it's another.

Hiashi tore up the marriage contract on his desk and threw it into the waste bin.

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**Next chapter: **The Disgraced Heiress

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	2. The Disgraced Heiress

_**Warnings: **_Spoliers. Post war arc.

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_Real family does not come from your blood. It is the people standing beside you when no one else is._

—Nishan Panwar—

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**Chapter 2:** The Disgraced Heiress

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Hinata didn't bother to hide the tears streaming down her face as she ran through the hallways blindly. She would have run back to her chambers but she was too afraid to stay within close proximity to her father. Hinata turned the corner recklessly and blindly bumped into someone. To Hinata it was like running into a fabric covered brick wall. "Oof! Hinata-neechan!" that wall exclaimed.

Hinata's watery lavender eyes meet silver. Hanabi's eyes widen as she saw her tears. Hinata furiously wiped the tears away with the ends of her jacket sleeves before running past her younger sibling. "S-Sister! Wait!" Hanabi cried after her. She had never seen Hinata so distraught! Even when she had the right to cry Hinata had always held it in. Some awful must have happened!

Without hesitation Hanabi ran after Hinata.

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Hinata just keep running, going faster than she ever hand in her life. Buildings, people blurred by. Some citizens at first thought it was Guy or Lee with their wacky training again. But then they noticed it was a blur of lavender instead of green. Eventually Hinata began to run out of steam and she found herself back at the same training grounds she was at an hour ago.

"HEY HINATA!"

Hinata's heart froze when she heard Naruto's voice._ 'Oh kami… not now!'_ Hinata thought weakly. _'…what have I done in my past life to deserve this?!'_ Hinata kept her gaze down to the ground as Naruto approached her. "…not now N-Naruto" she moaned pathetically. Naruto inwardly twitched when he noticed how she left the 'kun' suffix off his name again. Forcing a smile, he smacked her back cheerfully. Hinata yelped.

"Lighten up, Hinata-chan! I've found you a date! Someone who's been liking you for a while now!"

"A…A _what?_" Hinata stuttered in disbelief. "Naruto, _please_ not now!" Hinata repeated. She had no time for his foolishness. That's when a familiar person approached her. Hinata's eyes widen. "K-Kiba-kun…?" Her mouth hung open, making her tongue a venus trap for flies as Kiba came up to her. "Hi Hinata" her longtime friend and teammate greeted her. "Y-You… Kiba-kun…you like me?"

Kiba was taken aback by her reaction. He then glowered at Naruto who wisely took a few steps out of his reach. "You said she knew it was me!" He hissed. Naruto chuckled nervously in the background. Kiba rolled his eyes toward the heavens and groaned. "That's what I get for trusting an idiot like you!"

Meanwhile Hinata's brain was trying to compute this situation. Kiba… Kiba liked her? She honestly had no idea. The way he treated her... It was definitely in the friend-zone as far as she could comprehend. "Sooooo…" Naruto pulled Kiba and Hinata close together. They were so close that their noses were practically touching. "You two should go out on a few dates, fall in love, get married and make some babies!" Naruto cheered as he patted their shoulders encouragingly. Hinata cringed at the mentioning of babies. Kiba groaned again. He slapped his hand away. "Naruto, shut up you moron!"

That's when the smell of salt assaulted Kiba's nose. "Wait…Hinata have you been crying?" he asked worriedly.

"She has?" Naruto asked alarmed. He then noticed the red rim eyes and miserable look on the heiress's face. "Hinata-chan, don't worry! I can find you a better man if Kiba makes you cry-"

"Naruto I swear I'm going kick your ass-"

"Sister!" a voice called. The youngest heir of the Hyuga clan skidded to a halt as she came upon Hinata. Her poor sister looked like a fragile mouse sandwiched in between two hungry cats. Hanabi's eyes narrowed protectively. "Get away from my sister!" Hanabi demanded as she ruthlessly knocked Kiba and Naruto to the side.

"OW!"

"OUCH!"

Hinata sighed wearily as she sank to the ground. "Hinata, are you okay?" Hinata didn't answer.

Hanabi titled Hinata's chin upward. "Sister, please look at me…" Hinata raised her head. Her eyes disturbed Hanabi. They were practically empty, lost and completely exhausted. The bags gathering under her eyes made it worse. "What's wrong with Hinata?"

"Hanabi…I'm okay, really…" Hinata hesitated. She found it hard lying to her baby sister so she decided to tell the truth. Their father knew… it was only a matter of time before everyone in the Hyuga compound knew and then everyone in the district. She predicted that by tomorrow all of Konoha would know. As family, Hanabi deserved to know before the gossip mills. "I'm…I'm going to have a…a…" Hinata swallowed and confessed, "A baby. I'm going to have a baby soon, little sister"

The trio stared at her in disbelief. If it could, Naruto's jaw would have hit the forest floor. "WHAT? HINATA IS PREGNANT? OUR INNOCENT HINATA IS PREGNANT?!" He shrieked going hysterical. Hinata did her best not to respond to Naruto's outburst. She kept her focus on her sister. Hanabi had activated her byakugan to confirm the truth. Hanabi's eyes widen when she saw the new chakra growing inside her sister. With a shaky hand, Hanabi lifted the hem of Hinata's thick jacket and with her other, ran her palm over Hinata's fishnet covered stomach. That's when she felt it, the smooth full rise of it. "Does Father know?"

"Yes…I just told him" Hinata deflated even more. "…He didn't take the news well…"

"That's why you fled from the compound…." Hanabi looked up at Hinata grievously. "Oh my sister…Hinata-neechan…"

Kiba looked shocked and then slightly hurt. His dreams of coming home to a soft-spoken, lavender scented wife were gone. There was no other girl in the whole village as sweet as Hinata. Whoever the father was, he was a lucky man and a dead one. Forcing out a smile Kiba replied, "S-So you're involved with someone…ha-ha! My bad!" He tried to sound happy but it still came out sour.

"But… but I'm not in-involved with a-anyone" Hinata admitted.

Silence filled the small clearing as Hinata's friend, sister and teammate computed her words. Not surprisingly Naruto was the first to speak out. Jumping to conclusions he spat out viciously "What? Don't tell me this bastard gets you pregnant and then leaves you!" He looked absolutely livid at the idea. "Who is he? I'll kick his ass!"

'_Then he's going to use his own shadow clones to beat himself up?'_ Hinata thought amusedly, while releasing a small humorless chuckle to the surprise of every present. Ignoring Naruto, Hinata turned to her sister, "Take me home, Hanabi-chan….please" she begged with weakly. Without hesitation, Hanabi took Hinata into her arms. She was a good four inches taller than her older sister now and able to support her with ease. Together they left the clearing.

"Hinata-neechan, whose is it?" Hanabi asked quietly when they were out of earshot.

Hinata hesitated for a moment before answering, "…From someone who never loved me" she answered quietly but honestly.

Hanabi paused, her face suddenly turning dark. "You weren't raped, were you?" She hissed, promising a slow, painful death to the assaulter.

"No, Hanabi it's consensual" Hinata made it clear. "I-I knew what I was doing…" She admitted shamefully. "I just didn't expect this…"

* * *

Hanabi had hoped to put Hinata to bed immediately when they got home. Maybe even have some hot tea and soup sent to her room. However that would not be the case. A servant was waiting for them as they approached the entrance. He happened to be Ko, Hinata's childhood protector. "Hinata-sama, the council would like to have a word with you…in the conference room" he told the eldest. Hinata shuddered. Red flags were going off in Hanabi's mind when the branch member couldn't seem to look her or Hinata in the eye.

"When is the meeting?"

"Now" Ko answered.

Hanabi carefully let Hinata regain her footing. Hinata let out a shaky breath. Hanabi grabbed Hinata's hand protectively. "Don't worry, I'm going in there with you, nee-chan"

Ko shook his head. Grievously he told them, "Hinata must confront the Elders alone. You, Hanabi-sama, were ordered to wait outside"

Hanabi looked torn. "What! But why?" she demanded, growing angry.

"By order of Hiashi-sama and the Grand Elders" Ko replied. "I'm afraid that's all I know…"

Hanabi growled. A gentle hand landed on her shoulder. It was not a strong grip but it was firm. "It's okay Hanabi, I'll be fine" Hinata's soft voice spoke up. Very reluctantly Hanabi backed down. "Fine… I'll talk with you later, sister" said before returning to her rooms. Hiding away all her fear, Hinata sent Ko a determined look. "Lead the way, Ko"

Ko bowed his head respectfully, "Yes, my lady"

The meeting did not go well. Hinata was placed in a room where she faced off against 12 haughty figureheads. One of them being her father, the rest were the Elders of the Hyuga clan. Stiff-necked, intelligent and ruthless, they were the true puppeteers of the family. To call Hiashi the head of the clan was just a ruse. Hiashi had little to say as Hinata's ancestors took turns demanding information. Hinata tried to hold her own but she was failing. Her calm and strong composure had crumpled into dust.

Losing all his patience with her, an elder snipped out, "Have you taken so many lovers you cannot figure which one?"

"It…It was only one!" Hinata cried out.

All those judgmental glares told Hinata that they didn't believe her response. "Then tell us who he is! Tell!"

"He's…not available" Hinata whispered but everyone heard her. She swallowed hard lump formed in her throat before confessing, "He…he is married" Technically Naruto wasn't married yet but he would be in a matter of 30 days. If the atmosphere in the room wasn't chilly before, everything became cold as an ice dungeon now. Hiashi stood up and announced, "We cannot allow such behavior in the Hyuga clan…Especially from an Heiress of the main household!"

"F-Father, I'm sor—"

"It has already been decided that if the father doesn't come forth, you will be branded and cast out of the main household immediately for this shame" Hinata gaped in disbelief. This couldn't be happening to her. It couldn't. What kind of nightmare was this that she couldn't awaken from? The nightmare suddenly felt very real as her father turned his back to her. His voice was thick with emotion as he commanded, "Prepare the sealing room"

"F-Father please!" Hinata cried desperately. "I-I'm sorry for shaming you and the clan but please! Please h-have mercy on me!" Hinata bowed her head onto the floor. Hiashi didn't answer her. Hinata began to shake pitifully on the spot. Pouring her soul into one last plea, Hinata lifted her head and cried a heart wrenching, "FATHER!"

"I am no longer your father" were his last words to her.

* * *

"Ugh... I feel like a jerk!"

"You are a jerk"

"Hey, don't add salt to the wound, Kiba!" Naruto snapped irritably. The two had left the training grounds shortly after the Hyuga sisters and made their way to the Hyuga compound. "I really had no idea! Hinata must be going through a lot right now!" he moaned guiltily.

Kiba rolled his eyes. "No shit…" he trailed off with a sigh. He honestly could feel a headache coming on right now. "Man…I'll make sure to tell Shino everything when he gets back from his mission in the Land of Grains. Hinata's gonna need our support more than ever, especially if there's no father to come forward. The Hyuga are a bunch of self-righteous bastards. I just hope they haven't done anything to Hinata yet"

Naruto paused. "What do you think they would do to Hinata?"

"Who knows. They probably demote her from her title as clan heiress"

Naruto's jaw dropped. "WHAT? Isn't that a bit extreme? It's just a baby! Shouldn't they be happy for more heirs?"

"Naruto…this is the Hyuga we're talking about! It's all about honor and crap" Kiba replied patiently. "Getting pregnant out of marriage is frowned upon"

"But Kurenai-sensei had a baby!"

It pained Kiba to reply but he did so anyway, "Kurenai-sensei isn't a heiress to a powerful clan either-"

"But this is Hinata-chan!" Naruto stressed, hoping Kiba would understand. "She isn't the type to deliberately shame their clan or whatever! And I'm sure she won't do it again!"

Kiba had no reply for that except for a negative, "It doesn't matter" comment, but kept it to himself. It was a few minutes later when the they came upon the Hyuga compound. That's when the two noticed the Hyuga household was in complete disarray. Kiba's ears picked up infuriated screams that sounded suspiciously like Hanabi's. There were sounds of furniture being broken and lots of shouting.

"Hey what's going on?" Naruto asked aloud.

"Well, whatever is going on, it has the Hyuuga in an uproar! Oh, no..." Kiba had the sinking feeling it had something to do with Hinata. They entered only to be immediately confronted by a frazzled looking branch member. "No visitation right now, please!" the man recited quickly and proceeded lead them back outdoors. Kiba recognized him. "Ko-san, what's going on? Where's Hinata!"

The older man paused. His face going pale as he mentally recalled the events from earlier. "Leave now, please-" He tried to repeat but Naruto wouldn't have it. "Look man, we're here to help!"

"Yeah, we know about Hinata being knocked up!" Kiba yelled out. Ko stiffened. "Is that what this ruckus is all about?"

Ko sighed wearily. "Lady…I mean Hinata…" He swallowed thickly. Mentioning Hinata's name without honor references was strange and foreign to his tongue. "…Will be residing in the main household no longer …she was been sealed and cast out this afternoon-"

"WHAT?" Naruto and Kiba shouted at the same time. Naruto couldn't honestly believe his friend's clansmen would go so far but Kiba did. Even if the young Inuzuka had expected it, it was still hard to accept the ruthless and conservative nature of the Hyuga. "WHY?"

Ko hesitated to tell them but answered none of the less. "…The Elders of the main household have disowned her for the shameless act of wedlock"

"That's not wroth throwing out your own family!" Naruto shouted. "How could they do that to her!?"

"Wait…you said sealed…" Kiba's eyes widen with horror. "You guys didn't… you couldn't have gone that far…"

Ko honestly looked shameful as he turned his head away. "It had been decided long before Hinata even returned home…"

Naruto's angry deflated as he let out a confused, "What?"

"Naruto…they sealed away Hinata's byakugan" Kiba explained. "They used the Caged Bird Seal on her!"

Naruto stood there, stunned into silence. He felt numb as he took it in. Hinata-chan was sealed... he had failed her as he had failed Neji. He remembered back to that day 8 years ago. On the day of the Sand-Sound invasion he was participating in the chunin exam. As he delivered the final punch that had defeated Neji Hyuga he vowed to change the way of the Hyuga and yet here he was all these years later still helpless. Neji was dead because of him and now he couldn't even save his friend's precious cousin from suffering his fate.

"I'm going to get Kurenai-sensei!" Kiba turned on his heel and ran.

A fire build up in Naruto's gut. He couldn't save Hinata from her tyrannical family's seal but there was something he could do. "Right, and I'll go get Granny Tsunade!"

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**Next chapter: **The Resentful Heiress

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